Never Believe You Are A Burden To Your Team
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: When Red Alert runs away, Primus goes after him to find out why. Done as a request for EmeraldMoonGreen. :)


**EmeraldMoonGreen asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Transformers Prime belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.**

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 **Never Believe You Are A Burden To Your Team**

The Autobots and former Decepticons were very worried about Red Alert. Lately, it seemed he was always sad and was becoming withdrawn, something that wasn't like him at all. It was even showing in his work, which had Optimus worried. He was thinking perhaps Red Alert was again working too much, but a quick check showed that the paranoid bot was working the usual hours and not overdoing it.

"I'm worried about him," he said to Megatron.

"As am I, Prime," said the former warlord. "I've never seen him like this before. Perhaps he is unwell?"

"That might be the case," Optimus said and called for Ratchet, who had also been worried and promised to go check on Red Alert. If one of their own wasn't feeling well, he wanted to know why.

A few minutes later, Ratchet commed Optimus. "Optimus, he's gone," he said, worry clear in his voice as he tried to keep his voice level. "Everything's gone. All his belongings."

Optimus put the call out to the others and they searched all over the base, but couldn't find Red Alert and he wasn't answering their comms. "Where is he?" Arcee asked, her worry about their comrade clear in her voice.

"Did he have a disagreement with someone?" Bulkhead asked.

Everyone shook their heads. "He was alright last week when he came in for his checkup," Ratchet said.

"But if he was alright, then why was he acting like…like…," Starscream couldn't think of how to express how Red Alert was acting.

"As if he was depressed?" Soundwave supplied helpfully.

Starscream nodded. "I think that's the best word to describe it," he said.

"You're right," Knockout said. "Sadness and withdrawing from others are a couple signs that someone could be depressed."

While that made sense, it didn't ease their upset and worry that they couldn't find Red Alert. "Those of us that can fly could search for him from the skies," Megatron suggested, ready to fly out and find their friend. "While a ground unit searches the ground. Surely between us all, we can find him."

Everyone was on board with that plan when suddenly, a familiar bot appeared in their mist. It was Primus in holoform and he too looked worried. "I felt something wasn't right," he said and noticed Red Alert wasn't present. "Where is Red Alert?"

"He's not here," Bumblebee said. "We were about to go out and try to find him."

Primus gently smiled at them, proud that they were rallying together to go find their friend. "I admire your loyalty," he said before his voice gentled. "But you might have a difficult time getting Red Alert to stay put when you do find him."

"But…," Starscream began to protest quietly.

Holding up a hand in a gesture of 'quiet, please', the larger bot gently smiled again. "I know," he said softly. "But don't worry. I'll find Red Alert and bring him home."

"What can we do to help?" Megatron asked.

"Be ready to show Red Alert how much you care about him when he and I return," Primus answered before smiling. "I have a feeling he's going to need not only reassurance from me, but from all of you too."

They immediately caught on. "You can count on us, Primus, sir," Smokescreen said.

The titan nodded with another smile before heading out to find the lost Autobot.

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Meanwhile, deep in the canyons far from base, Red Alert was wandering alone, his horns sparking as he struggled not to cry, but all he wanted to do was sit and cry. Feeling exhausted, he decided to stop and rest a bit before continuing on his journey, not really caring where he went.

He then heard someone appear and looked up to see it was Primus and the titan didn't look all that happy with him. Letting out a startled cry and panicking, Red Alert jumped up and tried to get away, but no one got away from Primus when he was after them.

Primus moved quickly and scooped Red Alert up in his arms, sitting down and keeping the paranoid bot trapped in his lap with his arms wrapped firmly around him, not letting him escape no matter how much he struggled. "Primus, please, let go!" The red and white Autobot begged.

The titan shook his head. "I'm not letting go until you tell me why you left," he said in a gentle, firm voice.

Red Alert continued struggling to get away, but no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get away from Primus and finally, he broke down in tears. "I…I feel like a burden," he said softly. "I shouldn't be an Autobot. I shouldn't have even been born!"

The last sentence was sobbed out as he continued crying and Primus continued holding him, but looked at Red Alert. "Well, I'm not going to let you feel that way any longer," he said. "Because you've just doomed yourself to be tickled to death, little Red Alert."

Red Alert was still a bit upset and so didn't react right away to what Primus had said until he saw the titan shrink himself down so that he wasn't as large as he usually was, but was still taller than Red Alert and bigger. As the paranoid bot saw this, Primus' words registered and he began struggling again, but the larger bot had a good hold on him as he gently removed the red and white stomach armor. "Oh, yes, you definitely need some tickles," the titan cooed before one finger wiggled into the middle of Red Alert's stomach.

The trapped bot instantly burst into laughter, as his stomach was one of his most ticklish spots besides his knees and Primus was apparently about to give him a huge tickle torture on his stomach. "That's right, little one. Laugh to your heart's content," Primus cooed, cradling the bot with one arm as if he was a sparkling while his other hand continued tickling his stomach.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Red Alert laughed as he squirmed, still unable to get away from his captor.

"Oh, no you don't," said Primus in amusement as he then scooped up the paranoid bot in his arms, one arm under his victim's knees and the other behind his back as he lifted him up and then blew a big raspberry into the tickle stomach. "This little stomach is all mine and I'm going to eat it up. What do you think of that, my little one?"

One thing that would have Red Alert in stitches, his friends knew, was the teasing when he was being tickled. Being tickled would make him completely lose himself in laughter, but being tickled and having teasing words cooed at him drove him crazy with laughter and he tried to squirm away again. "Ah, ah, ah," the large titan said with a smile before blowing another raspberry into his victim's stomach and tickling his underarms. "You're not going to escape me, youngling. I've got you trapped in my ticklish grasp."

The paranoid bot continued laughing as more raspberries were blown into his stomach and large fingers mercilessly tickled his underarms, stomach, and knees at the same time, making his laughter grow and burst out of him with each ticklish stroke or raspberry. "Aww, look at you, little Red Alert. Laughing so cutely. Who's my little ticklish captive? Who loves being tickled to pieces? Do you know who, my little one?" Primus cooed teasingly into the red and white bot's audio.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Red Alert couldn't stop laughing, but he did try to plead for the tickling to end, but his pleas ended up being lost in laughter. But Primus did slow down to let him catch his breath, but continued lightly tickling him, ready to make him laugh some more.

"Hmm? What's this I'm hearing?" Primus asked, leaning his audio close to the ticklish stomach. "Why, I do believe I heard a ticklish little stomach begging to be tickled."

Red Alert rapidly shook his head as he kept laughing, but the larger bot nodded. "Oh, yes, that's exactly what I hear and I must tickle that cute, little stomach before it's ready for me to eat it up."

The paranoid bot had no time to protest as large fingers wiggled rapidly into his stomach again and huge raspberries were blown into his protoform, making him arch his back as it seemed he now couldn't squirm to get away. But he had to admit, he was enjoying it, something that the large titan seemed to notice. "You enjoy me tickling you, don't you, little one?" He cooed, his voice still teasing. "You're just so ticklish."

Red Alert giggled again before seeing Primus lean down towards his stomach and squealed loudly when he felt super gentle, ticklish nibbling that tickled so much that he was again in stitches. "Oh, what a yummy little tummy! Tickle, tickle, tickle!" The titan kept cooing to him. "My little one's got a very, very ticklish tummy! Cootchie, cootchie, coo!"

Happy tears began falling from his captive's face as he kept laughing and squealing as his stomach was giving the ultimate tickle torture with both raspberries and nibbling. After a bit longer, Primus began noticing that Red Alert was literally sobbing with laughter and even clicking like a sparkling. Smiling, he stopped the tickle torture, holding the paranoid bot in his arms comfortingly as he helped him calm down. "Aww, did my little one get all tuckered out?" He asked teasingly, gently tickling the right side of Red Alert's face with one finger.

The somewhat tired bot gently batted away the larger bot's hand. "I'm not a sparkling," he complained, looking a little embarrassed now.

"I beg to differ," Primus said as he stood up, holding up Red Alert securely over his head before smiling. "Ready?" He asked.

The poor bot looked confused. "For what?" He asked in confusion.

In response, the large titan gently tossed him up in the air. "And up you go!" Primus declared with an amused smile before catching the surprised bot and tossing him up again into the air.

Recognizing that the titan was playing a human game that he had seen some human parents play with their small children, Red Alert felt giggles bubble up inside him and he couldn't help letting them out as he was again tossed up gently and caught securely by the gentle bot before Primus tossed him up over his head and Red Alert not only giggled, but squealed too as a huge smile was now fixed permanently on his face and he reached down to Primus as he fell towards him.

Seeing this, Primus chuckled in amusement and continued the game for a bit, listening as the now relaxed bot was giggling and squealing happily the whole time, unafraid as he was tossed up and caught until finally, the large hands caught him and pulled him closer to the titan. Instantly, Red Alert clung to him like a sparkling, still giggling happily as he clung to him. "Do you feel better now, Red Alert?" The gentle bot asked him.

The red and white Autobot nodded. "Yes," he said and then looked a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"Now, now, none of that," Primus said gently, carefully rubbing Red Alert's horns, making him fully relax. "But you should know, my little Red Alert, that you are not a burden to your team. You never were nor will you ever be."

Red Alert nodded. "I believe you," he said. "Guess I really needed someone to tickle some sense into me."

"Or rather, tickle all that stress and sadness from you," said the titan. "Come now. The others are worried about you back at base."

When they arrived, Red Alert didn't even have time to speak as they all swarmed him with not only hugs, but the Autobots and former 'Cons all joined in to tickle him to pieces. "Don't you ever leave like that again, Red Alert," Arcee said.

"You're our friend and we care about you," Bumblebee said.

"And if you ever worry us like that again, we'll tickle you to pieces," Megatron said.

As Red Alert laughed again and squirmed before they let him up and pulled him into another warm group hug, Primus smiled and quietly left, the memory of that afternoon continuing to play in his mind.

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 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


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